Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (January 8) raided the I-PAC office in West Bengal’s Kolkata, claimed sources. The raids were also reportedly conducted at the residence of I-PAC functionary and director Pratik Jain. The searches were conducted months ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
Jain is the co-founder of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC). He is also the head of the IT cell of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. The ED carried out raids at at least five locations across Kolkata, reported News18. However, there is no official confirmation in this regard. A report by The Print claimed that the raids were conducted as part of investigation into alleged hawala fund transfers in a coal smuggling case.
Why Raids Are Being Conducted?
The ED searched the premises of the I-PAC and its co-founder as part of a money laundering investigation. However, the exact nature of the searches and details of the case being probed were not immediately clear. There was no official statement from the ED or the I-PAC till the filing of this report.
Mamata Banerjee's Reaction:
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the federal agency for the raids and alleged that ED officials were attempting to seize the TMC’s hard disks, internal documents and sensitive organisational data during the searches.
She described the raid at the residence of Jain as politically motivated and unconstitutional. “They are trying to take our party’s hard disk, strategy and plans. Is it the duty of the ED to collect political parties’ documents?” the chief minister stated.
Calling the exercise an act of intimidation, Banerjee said, "This is not law enforcement, this is political vendetta. The home minister is behaving like the nastiest home minister, not someone who protects the country."
Suvendu Adhikari Slams Banerjee:
Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari termed Banerjee's visit to IPAC chief Pratik Jain's house during the ED raid on Thursday as "unconstitutional and interference" in the central agency's probe.
"I feel that the chief minister and the Kolkata police commissioner's visit was unethical, unconstitutional and direct interference in the central agency's investigation," Adhikari told reporters.
